H.R. No. 414

	R E S O L U T I O N
	WHEREAS, February 21, 2011, marked the 75th anniversary of
	the birth of the Honorable Barbara Jordan; the legacy that she
	established in her service to the citizens of Texas and the United
	States of America remains a source of inspiration to countless
	people, and time cannot diminish the contributions of this
	admirable patriot, politician, teacher, mentor, friend, icon, and
	hero; and
	WHEREAS, Born in 1936 to Benjamin and Arlyne Jordan, Barbara
	Jordan was raised in Houston's Fifth Ward and graduated with honors
	from Phillis Wheatley High School in the Houston Independent School
	District; and
	WHEREAS, Ms. Jordan attended Texas Southern University,
	where she majored in government and history and was a member of the
	debate team, winning numerous honors for her oratory skills; after
	graduating magna cum laude from TSU, she enrolled at the Boston
	University School of Law and received her law degree in 1959; and
	WHEREAS, In 1966, Ms. Jordan became the first black woman
	ever elected to the Texas Senate as well as the first African
	American to be elected as a state senator in the United States since
	1883; and
	WHEREAS, Following her successful run for a seat in the U.S.
	Congress in 1972, Ms. Jordan served in the House of Representatives
	from 1973 until 1979, during which time she enhanced her reputation
	as an evocative public speaker and arose as a leader on issues
	relating to voting rights, consumer protection, energy, and the
	environment; and
	WHEREAS, In her role as a member of the House Committee on the
	Judiciary, she gained national prominence during the Watergate
	impeachment proceedings against President Nixon in 1974; speaking
	before the committee, she movingly portrayed the intention of the
	framers of the U.S. Constitution and eloquently expressed her faith
	in that document, even as she noted that "We the People," the first
	words of the preamble to the Constitution, were not originally
	intended to apply to African Americans; and
	WHEREAS, In 1976, Congresswoman Jordan became the first
	female and the first African American to serve as the keynote
	speaker at the Democratic National Convention, and her speech
	reiterated her faith in the Constitution and the desire to form a
	national community that would fulfill the country's purpose of
	creating and sustaining a society in which all are equal; and
	WHEREAS, Ms. Jordan retired from elective office in 1979 and
	became a distinguished professor at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of
	Public Affairs at The University of Texas at Austin; for the
	remainder of her life, she focused on mentoring a new generation of
	aspiring leaders, encouraging them to excel and to commit
	themselves to public service; and
	WHEREAS, At the request of President Bill Clinton, she became
	chair of the U.S. Commission on Immigration Reform in the mid-1990s
	and held that office until her death; in 1994, President Clinton
	honored her for her patriotism and outstanding service by awarding
	her the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the country's highest
	civilian honor; and
	WHEREAS, Barbara Jordan passed away in January 1996, but her
	lifelong commitment to freedom, integrity, equality, and justice
	resonates as powerfully today as it did in years past, and her
	tireless efforts to champion our nation's highest ideals are indeed
	deserving of our recognition and respect; now, therefore, be it
	RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 82nd Texas
	Legislature hereby pay tribute to the life of Barbara Jordan in
	honor of the 75th anniversary of her birth.
	Dukes
	Straus Gonzales of Williamson Morrison
	Aliseda Gonzalez Munoz, Jr.
	Allen Gooden Murphy
	Alonzo Guillen Naishtat
	Alvarado Gutierrez Nash
	Anchia Hamilton Oliveira
	Anderson of Dallas Hancock Orr
	Anderson of McLennan Hardcastle Otto
	Aycock Harless Parker
	Beck Harper-Brown Patrick
	Berman Hartnett Paxton
	Bohac Hernandez Luna Pena
	Bonnen Hilderbran Perry
	Branch Hochberg Phillips
	Brown Hopson Pickett
	Burkett Howard of Fort Bend Pitts
	Burnam Howard of Travis Price
	Button Huberty Quintanilla
	Cain Hughes Raymond
	Callegari Hunter Reynolds
	Carter Isaac Riddle
	Castro Jackson Ritter
	Chisum Johnson Rodriguez
	Christian Keffer Schwertner
	Coleman King of Parker Scott
	Cook King of Taylor Sheets
	Craddick King of Zavala Sheffield
	Creighton Kleinschmidt Shelton
	Crownover Kolkhorst Simpson
	Darby Kuempel Smith of Harris
	Davis of Dallas Landtroop Smith of Tarrant
	J. Davis of Harris Larson Smithee
	S. Davis of Harris Laubenberg Solomons
	Deshotel Lavender Strama
	Driver Legler Taylor of Collin
	Dukes Lewis Taylor of Galveston
	Dutton Lozano Thompson
	Eiland Lucio III Torres
	Eissler Lyne Truitt
	Elkins Madden Turner
	Farias Mallory Caraway Veasey
	Farrar Margo Villarreal
	Fletcher Marquez Vo
	Flynn Martinez Walle
	Frullo Martinez Fischer Weber
	Gallego McClendon White
	Garza Menendez Woolley
	Geren Miles Workman
	Giddings Miller of Comal Zedler
	Gonzales of Hidalgo Miller of Erath Zerwas
	______________________________
	Speaker of the House
	I certify that H.R. No. 414 was adopted by the House on February
	22, 2011, by a non-record vote.
	______________________________
	Chief Clerk of the House